September 21, 2010

I definitely need to save the link for this post, that links you to "Where Bloggers Create II" from a new blog I just found, Tattered & Timeless. Apparently there are over 400 studios linked that you can tour, and get inspiration from... I need some of that! we've been in our house for over a year, now, and still, my studio isn't exactly "done." Of course, that's because it's never been exactly "clean," either... well, maybe it was, before I started moving into it- haha!!

I will be showing you some art soon, too-- I've been working on items to sell at our first "Art from the Heart" in-home gallery show, which is this Thursday. (yikes!!) I'm looking forward to it; hopefully we'll have lots of customers who will take advantage of the chance to purchase locally-made original artwork, jewelry, and home decor items.

I've also got a couple other opportunities in the works that involve crafting, too... plus, of course, there's the 3-Day for the Cure coming up, too... along with the usual life and work stuff... !!! (yikesagain-- I think I need to get busy!!)

September 15, 2010

Craftypod blog This one is always interesting; I come across it every so often, mean to follow it so I get updates, and then I forget to actually click the "follow" button.

2 Bags Full blog Gorgeous photography, and beautiful crafts-- more art than craft!! (look at the knitted nest photos in the right sidebar, and you'll see what I mean.) I scrolled thru a ways, but need to read all of it. I am jealous that this blogger lives close enough to Biltmore Mansion to visit it; I have wanted to go there ever since I saw a tour of it on the show "America's Castles." (is that show on anymore?? I used to love it!)

September 13, 2010

here's the second post of cuckoo clock pics, with all the fun shots of the mechanisms...

This one shows the entire clock-- it is amazing how elaborate these are, and that all the mechanisms are truly only mechanical-- just gears and wires that connect everything. There is a woodsman who saws wood, a woman feeding chickens, two goats who butt heads, dancers who spin around, a bell in the tower that moves, and of course, the cuckoo comes out and does his thing.

Even the clock hands are wood! The picture above is the cuckoo coming out on the hour-- I love the little balconies with the window boxes, too-- it reminds me of some of the small towns in Southwestern Wisconsin, in the area where I grew up. (Since that area was settled by European settlers, there are a couple really interesting towns full of this sort of architecture... New Glarus and Mount Horeb, WI are two of them... very interesting little towns set in the rolling hills, full of antiques, gift shops and interesting attractions- don't miss the Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, where they display mustards from all over the world!)

the woodchopper has been hard at work, here. I think there's a box of coal (?) behind him, too. He saws wood once per chime, on the hour-- so he's really busy at noon and midnight.

The woman feeds the chickens on the hour, as well... I like this little dog, too, with his tiny house!

This shot is of the roof area-- there are gutters on the edge, and small rocks on the roof. (I think this is a traditional element of the chalet, but I have no idea what the reasoning is behind it- if anyone can help me out, please let me know.) The bell in the tower moves on the hour, as well, along with the dancers spinning around.

and, last but not least, my favorite little touch: the goats actually butt heads with each other on the hour-- too cute! Of course, this clock doesn't "fit in" with the rest of our southwest decor, except in the fact that it's something we love, and isn't that what decorating is all about??

September 12, 2010

this is part one-- Blogger wasn't cooperating, so wouldn't let me add all the photos to one post. Here is the intro:
Tom's dad has a small collection of cuckoo clocks in storage. (it's too hard to explain why; suffice it to say that we were really excited when he told us that, because we really wanted one!) So, when we were back in Wisconsin last month for the family reunion, we got to pick one out. It was a difficult choice- there were two we really liked... (actually, there was a huge one I also liked, but we don't live in a Swiss lodge, so it wouldn't have fit in our house-- it was that big.) It was like an early Christmas when the package finally came!!

The cats thought so, too... they immediately started playing in the empty box. They aren't really possessed by the devil, or anything like that-- it's just the way the flash reflected off their eyes. Well, actually sometimes I wonder if they are, but that's another blog post...

So, here it is in its place of honor in our living room-- we have it hung up between two of the windows, so we can enjoy seeing it every day, as well as hearing it. The ticking doesn't bother us, and we've gotten used to the cuckoo and music-- which is good, because it plays music on the half hour, and plays a different tune on the hour, along with the cuckoo and all the other motions. (which I'll tell you about in the next post... I realize this is a pretty lame post just the way it is, but it's Blogger's fault; really, it is.) Till then, I think I'm going to watch the rest of Iron Chef America!!

September 11, 2010

http://historicplacesphotography.com/
an interesting blog I just came across-- historic places in the Midwest, in the area where I grew up and lived before moving to AZ: Darlington, Madison, Racine/Kenosha, and more. Some interesting photographs of a couple Frank Lloyd Wright homes are what caught my eye. (and how did I come across this blog? I was looking for images of "totem pole cactus." Isn't the internet great?!?)

About Me

I'm a Midwestern small-town girl transplanted to the Arizona Sonoran Desert. If I'm not hanging out with my BF, our three sable Shelties and our three rescue cats, then I probably have paper or scissors in my hands, or glue or paint on my hands. I love scrapbooking and art journaling, I take classes when I can, and I experiment a lot in my art studio.